Shadow
by HopelessRomantic84
Summary: AU: Remy Lebeau is a vampire, tortured by his immortality and by a young woman he has yet to meet. Lonely and in love with this nameless face, he watches her hoping one day to gain the courage to approach her and bring warmth back to his cold heart.
1. Prologue

Remy glanced at his watch. A platinum Rolex. A trifle he had stolen a year back from some rich teenaged boy in London. It was precisely 10:05 in the evening and she would be leaving work soon. She always waited for someone to walk out with her, and rightfully so; the parking lot wasn't lit very well and it was dangerous for a young woman at night. Just as the department store lights shut off and the last of its employees exited, he spotted her walking out with another young woman.

She was beautiful, dressed in all black; the dress code for her job. He loved to see the outfits she would create with such a limited color palate. It seemed that she never wore the same thing twice. Her long brown hair flowed behind her as she walked, loose curls bouncing along with each step she took and the sheen of her hair shining in the parking lot lights as she and her friend walked past. Remy caught a glimpse of her light eyes which glimmered in the light as well, he wondered if they were green or blue...he wished he could get a little closer...

Remy wasn't stalking this woman; not technically, he was simply admiring her from afar since he couldn't possibly approach her. And if anything, he was watching over her to keep her safe. Remy Lebeau had been a vampire since he was 19 years old and was bitten in his hometown of New Orleans. He was now 28 and dreadfully lonely, his new lifestyle forcing the once outgoing Cajun into solitude. Seeing her brought a little warmth to his cold body, kept his blackened heart beating and kept him hopeful. Hopeful that maybe one day, he would know what it was to feel again, to love again, to smile again. Perhaps one night he would meet her properly, but not this evening. Fear enveloped him, preventing him from making the first move and it was probably for the best. He wouldn't have been able to accept being turned away by the girl of his dreams.

For now, he would watch over her.


	2. Guilt

After watching her car pull away, Remy sighed and came out from the bushes he had hid behind. He hated that it had to be this way. He never was a man of shame...but his curse changed all that. With one last look at the car, he headed back to his motorcycle, one of his last pleasures leftover from his mortal life. He would ride for hours, even days if he could. Anything to feel normal again. But, then the hunger would wash over him and he would have to feed. To kill. It was the only way he could survive.

Some nights, Remy wondered what would happen if he stopped feeding all together and he would stay locked up in his house with the curtains drawn, hoping to just die already. To end it all and go to Heaven...or Hell, whichever would take him at this point. Anything would be better than what he was going through. He would wait weeks until he was almost too weak to walk and then he would watch the sun peak out slightly in the horizon through dark sunglasses, giving just a hint of light to the room. It was always then that he remembered why he couldn't let himself die.

The sun. His literal ray of hope. He wanted so much to see it again, to let it warm his skin. To see the world once again with the suns help, to see the colors of the day. Hell, just to get his tan back! He looked like death; he couldn't stand it any longer. His vanity was another reason he wouldn't approach the young woman each night. Though he had ample time to keep up his physical appearance with working out, he was as pale as an albino. And even though his features were classically handsome, the paleness of his skin took away from the beauty he possessed; there was just no way he could just walk up to her like he wasn't what he was.

He would fool no one.

XXXXXX

Once on his bike, Remy sped off to find his dinner, or a good enough substitute. He would go to the worst parts of town, where criminals were most likely to be gathered in the darkest of alleys and surely up to no good. He figured, if he had to do this for an eternity, he would rid the world of its bad seeds. In his own twisted sort of way, it was an attempt at doing some good. A bid into Heaven for when his time finally came.

After sufficiently draining a middle aged man who was breaking into someone's car with a rusty crowbar, Remy headed for home. ESPN was replaying the Saints/Giants game from earlier in the evening...he couldn't miss it.

As he rode along the highway, the after taste of the mans blood bothered his mouth with its remnants. Remy spit a couple times into the wind, not caring too much if the bloody saliva hit a windshield or two, and desperately yearned for a glass of water to rinse out the taste. He had a feeling the man had been a drunk as he had caught a hint of whiskey as he fed. He sighed to himself, started off in his usual train of thought after he had killed and his guilt forced him to wonder once again...what would happen if he just stopped?

This immortal life was exhausting. A vicious cycle of killing, resting, watching over his love and killing once more before he went back to sleep and repeated it the next night. The only good thing about tomorrow was that he would see her beautiful face again and perhaps learn something new about her.


	3. Loneliness

After watching the football game, Remy showered and went to lie down in bed, hoping that sleep would come easily. But, all that happened once his red on black eyes were closed, was that he saw her. He was tortured day in and day out by her beautiful face...the thought of being with her...making love to her...holding her in his arms and sharing eternity together. These thoughts made him happy, at least for a moment...once reality set in, they only made things seem more hopeless.

Tonight, he would let those thoughts be his inspiration to get up the courage to talk to her the next day. To make his dreams a reality. What was the harm in trying? If he went into this with a bad attitude, things surely wouldn't go well. But, if he approached her like he would've done in his mortal life; confident and charming, there would be no way she could resist. Remy just needed to get his "mojo" back. Immortality or no immortality, she would see beyond what he was and see the good intentions, the pure admiration and love behind his fascination with her.

XXXXXXX

A few miles away...

She tossed and turned in her sleep, dreaming of a faceless man who came to her in her dreams. He would do things to her, make her feel so loved and cherished...it all seemed so real. It was as if he were there with her in her bed kissing her, touching her and holding her tightly in his strong arms. She never wanted to wake up when he would visit her in her sleep, the morning always came to quickly and the dreams were never long enough. His kisses were never enough.

She moaned softly in her sleep as her dream lover kissed her neck sensually, his tongue lapping at the sweet skin beneath his soft lips.

"I love ya so much..." He would tell her softly. Not a word came in response, just a soft sigh which made him chuckle huskily against her skin.

"I have ta leave ya tonigh'...but, I come back ta ya. I always do, righ', Chere?" He whispered gently before placing a tender kiss on her collarbone, his warm breath against her skin sending chills down her spine and towards her core.

"Yes." She breathed out in reality, desperately wishing her dream tonight was real, but hoping he wouldn't leave her.

"Will ya t'ink o' me when I'm gone?" He asked softly, his soft lips brushing up her neck light as a feather until he reached her lips.

"Of course I will, I just wish I could see your face..." She said gently, her eyes tearing up a little.

"Awww, ne pleurent pas, le chéri (don't cry, darling)...in good time ya see me." He said soothingly, his deep voice calming her down once again.

It was then, that the dream ended abruptly, causing her to wake up. Instead of her dream lovers' arms to hold her tight, she was left alone to cry herself back to sleep. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

Little did she know…someone else was feeling the same.


	4. It Finally Happened

Early the next night...

She was standing in the aisle of the store, visibly bored and wanting to go home. It had been a slow night and no one was interested in buying over priced perfume when they could barely afford gasoline for their cars. She watched as people briskly walked past, not even trying to sell the women or men anything, knowing she would only just get rejected or hit on and she was in the mood for neither.

So, after another hour of waiting out the inevitable, she was granted permission by her boss to call it a night. With a grateful smile, she packed up her faux snake skin tote and extracted her car keys from it with gusto.

"You're going home?" Her friend, Kate asked with a smirk.

"Yea, girl, I'm free as a bird." She grinned as she walked by, heading towards the escalator to go downstairs.

"See you Friday?" Kate asked hopefully.

"Yep, good night!" She called out before she practically flew down the escalator and out the front door. She let out a content sigh as her eyes adjust to the light, the sun was actually still out...and she wasn't at work! What would she do with herself?

XXXXXX

When 7:30 pm rolled around, Remy showered and got dressed to go and check up on his nameless crush. After nearly 4 months of watching her, he had gotten to know her schedule pretty well. He knew when she worked, where she took her dog for a walk at the dog park after work, the bars she went to with friends on the weekend. He often wondered to himself why he bothered to get all dressed knowing he wouldn't grow the balls to talk to her. But, still, like every other night, he shaved, sprayed himself with cologne and gathered his keys off the coffee table to make the 15 minute ride to see her. Maybe this evening would be different.

"Guess i's de fact dat it give ya somet'in ta do, somewhere ta be, eh, homme?" Remy said to himself with a shrug as he walked outside, the sun having gone down but a little of it's light still visible. Dusk was a safe time for Remy; it was when the sun was directly overhead that he needed to worry about. Remy often joked to himself that when he felt immortality had warn out its welcome, he would set up a beach chair on his front yard around 11am when the sun was its strongest and lay out to finally get that tan back...his last tan.

When he finally made it to the mall, he found that her car had already gone. He chewed his bottom lip, trying to figure out where she could be. Maybe something happened to her? Then he started to worry.

"Ya probably worse den de filles mother..." Remy thought to himself with a chuckle as he sped off and headed to the dog park, wondering if she had gotten off early and maybe took her dog for a walk.

At the dog park...

"Lady! Don't you jump on that dog...you'll break her in half!" She warned the 2 year old golden retriever as Lady proceeded to pounce a Chihuahua named Lily. Lily's owner laughed and waved over at her before picking up Lily to save her from Lady's playful advances.

"Lady come." She said loud enough so she could hear. Within 5 seconds, Lady was by the brunette's side and lifting her left paw, asking for treats.

"You're such a good girl..." She cooed lovingly to her best friend as she reached into her purse and pulled out a bacon treat which Lady quickly gobbled up.

"Piggy..." She smiled as Lady got up on her back legs and put her front paws on her owners knees so she could lick her face.

"I love you, too." She giggled as Lady set all 4 feet on the ground again and ran off to go play in the fenced in park with all the other dogs.

Meanwhile, Remy parked his motorcycle in the parking lot, boldly beside her car. He was glad she was alright; he hadn't stopped worrying for the entire ride there. With his usual sunglasses on, he walked up the brick pathway that led to the park and spotted her sitting on a bench watching her dog prance about the park with the other dogs. He lit up a cigarette and watched for a little while, smirking whenever she would giggle at the dogs' antics.

She looked good today...not that she didn't usually, but she just looked like a vision dressed in a cute pink velour tracksuit and shearling boots. Her hair was down today, like most days, but today it was curly...not loose curls like usual, but curls all over that sprung back into place whenever she would move her head. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen and though he was still uncertain of the color of her eyes, he was sure that she had the most beautiful set of eyes he'd ever seen regardless of the color.

Amidst all of his daydreaming, Remy barely noticed when Lady; her dog, came prancing up to him with a yellow tennis ball in her mouth. He looked down and smiled a little smile as he bent down to pet her soft fur. Then Lady began to run around him excitedly, practically galloping and urging him to take the ball from her mouth so he could throw it.

"Alrigh'..." He said softly as he reached down and plucked the ball from Lady's mouth and tossed it across the park. Lady barked in her delight as she chased it and returned to him moments later.

"She really likes you." The girl of Remy's dreams replied with a smile, exposing straight white teeth as she walked over. Leave it to her to have a killer smile, too.

"Oh, uh, oui, looks like it." Remy managed to choke out as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I think I've seen you here before...where's your dog?" She asked innocently as she bent down to pick up the tennis ball that Lady dropped at her feet and threw it once again sending the dog on a wild goose chase to find it.

"Don' have one...jus' come here sometimes to t'ink." He replied softly. Remy couldn't believe they were actually having a conversation. Her voice was like melted honey...smooth...sweet.

"Oh, well this is a great place to do that. It's pretty quiet and peaceful. I tend to think when I come here, too." She smiled as she looked up at him. Light blue eyes. She had blue eyes...and they were gorgeous.

"Jus' when ya come here?" Remy asked playfully, feeling something ignite within him that he hadn't felt in years. She chuckled and shook her head.

"I think regardless of whether I'm here or not." She grinned as Lady returned with the tennis ball.

"My name's Cyndi, by the way." She added after a short silence between the two strangers.

"De name's Remy, Remy Lebeau." He smiled as he extended his hand and she took it, shaking it gently, looking down briefly probably wondering why he felt so damn cold. Trying not to pull away too abruptly, he took his hand back and stuck it in the pocket of his jeans.

"I like your style. That was very suave, very James Bond." She joked with a giggle, those blue eyes lighting up when she smiled. He laughed and shook his head.

"James Bond ain't got not'in on dis Cajun." He smiled as he patted his broad chest proudly.

"I knew I recognized that accent...you're a New Orleans boy." She smiled softly. Just as they started to really get into the conversation, Lady interrupted, silently asking Cyndi for water and another treat.

"I think Lady's hinting that she wants to go home." Cyndi replied as she bent down to pet her companion who in turn, rolled onto her back and exposed her belly. Remy bent down as well and rubbed the soft fuzz at Lady's belly.

"It was nice ta meet ya finally." Remy replied, instantly wanting to slap himself in the face once the words came out.

"Finally?" Cyndi asked with a bemused grin.

"Well, I mean, ya said dat...you've seen Remy here before. So, dat means we finally meetin' since we never introduced ourselves..." He stammered. He was a bad liar. But, Cyndi just smiled and nodded.

"Will you be here tomorrow? I could bring us coffee and we could talk...maybe get to know each other a little better?" She asked softly.

"Oui, I'd like dat very much. Wha' time?" He asked, his voice probably sounding more eager than he had meant, but he really didn't care. She was asking him out on a date...a very casual date, but still...it was something!

"Seven? I'm off work, but have a little running around to do." She replied as she pulled Lady's crystal studded leash out of her purse and hooked it up to her collar. Apparently, Lady did not fair well with leashes and she proceeded to tug Cyndi a bit in her frustration of being confined to a mere yard of leeway.

"Seven's great. I see ya den, Chere." He replied easily, chuckling a bit as Lady started tugging Cyndi away from him. She simply smiled and waved good-bye as Lady began to pull harder forcing Cyndi to run along with her towards the car.

Remy watched with an amused grin on his face as Cyndi and her long curly hair bounced away from him and down the brick path towards the parking lot. Maybe eternity wouldn't be so bad if things continued to go his way.


	5. Flirtation

Later that night...

Once he was home, Remy sat down at his kitchen table and pulled out all his bills for the month and his checkbook. He still had bills because technically, he hadn't died, so it was as if nothing had happened despite the obvious truth only known to him. So the fact he still had bills; meant he had to keep making money. In order to do this, Remy had to keep up his thieving mortal ways that he had grown up with in the bayou. This week had been relatively productive so far, he had stolen about $3,500 altogether and that would set him up pretty much for the month if he had left it at that, but since he had nothing but time on his hands, he kept at it pretty much each day because it came so easy.

As he wrote out various checks, his mind went to earlier that night when he met Cyndi and he smiled to himself. She seemed really nice. Just as he hoped she would be. Maybe he could still be pretty normal after all? But, then he considered what it would be like to date a man like himself and then he sighed deeply. They would only be able to see each other at night. As nice as it would be to meet for a drink, or hang out in his place or her place...maybe even go to a movie...there was still so much he'd miss. Days at the dog park, sunny afternoons at the beach just lying in beach chairs and talking...sunny afternoons in general. The little things in life never seemed as big as they did at that moment.

"Merde..." Remy cursed out loud.

And he hadn't even started on what she might think of his devilish eyes when the time came to reveal them.

"I knew dis woul'n' keep ya happy fo' too long, homme. Always t'inkin' bout de bad. Jus' let somet'in' good happen ta ya fo' once.." He told himself as he ran a frustrated hand through his short auburn hair and bowed his head over the paperwork he was doing. After a moment of sulking, he reached across the table to his pack of cigarettes and his lighter, bringing them closer to him and extracting a lone cigarette from the pack which he stuck between his lips while he lit it. Slowly he inhaled, bringing the smoke into his lungs and letting the smoke out slowly through his mouth and nose while he went back to paying his bills.

Meanwhile...

"Did you meet a nice man today, Lady? Hmmmm, did you?" Cyndi cooed playfully to her pet as she hopped onto her couch and climbed into Cyndi's lap, the weight of her causing her to let of a soft 'omph!'.

When Lady barked her response, Cyndi smiled and reached for the remote control to change the channels.

"We'll see him tomorrow...maybe he'll play fetch with you again." She replied as Lady snuggled against her and closed her eyes. Cyndi smiled to herself as she thought of Remy. He was very sweet, very handsome...could use a tan, but other than that, a very promising prospect. His voice seemed so familiar, it was as if she had heard it somewhere before but she couldn't quite put her finger on where.

The next day...

Cyndi took just a little extra time getting ready to go out, instead of covering up, she opted for a pair of wide legged grey dress pants, a simple black tank with lace along the top and well worn black leather heels. She decided to pull her hair up in a messy bun and put on a tiny bit of make-up.

"Come on, Miss Thang...we gotta go." Cyndi called out as Lady bounded down the stairs with her tennis ball in her mouth. As she opened the front door, Lady rushed past and towards the car, sitting in front on the passenger door waiting patiently to be let in.

"Ya gonna sit pretty in the car while I stop for some coffee?" Cyndi asked as she let Lady in and shut the door behind her, then walking to her side of the car and getting in to start the engine.

At the park...

Remy pulled into the parking lot just as Cyndi was getting out of her car. She glanced up when she heard the engine of his bike and smiled, knowing it was him behind the dark helmet. Remy smiled, even though he knew she couldn't see; and pulled up beside her car, being careful of Lady who burst out of the passenger side and over to him.

"Looks like you have a fan." Cyndi teased with a grin, clutching two cups of Starbucks coffee and her purse as Remy shut off the engine and took his helmet off.

"Jus' one?" He smirked, still straddling the bike and reaching up to fix his hair.

"Dunno yet, we'll see." She flirted as he got off the bike and walked towards her, stopping only briefly to pet Lady before he leaned over and kissed Cyndi's cheek. She could feel her face warm up at the slight touch of his lips, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression. The man certainly had a presence.

"Ya look very belle. Hope ya didn' go ta too much trouble fo' dis Cajun." He said softly.

"Did you want me to come in sweatpants?" She smirked. He chuckled and shrugged.

"Either way, Chere, ya probably look beautiful." He replied charmingly.

"Ass kissing like that deserves coffee...so you can stay awake to do it longer." She laughed as she handed him his coffee cup.

"T'ank you." He smiled, laughing towards the end of the sentence. He couldn't believe how much he liked her and he had only spoken to her just twice.

XXXXXXX

Just as they were getting lost in their conversation, Lady suddenly ran ahead of them.

"Lady, come back!" Cyndi called out as Lady tore down the brick path after a squirrel, going too far for her comfort.

Just as Cyndi had caught up with Lady, she tripped on a brick and fell to the ground with a graceless grunt and a thud. Remy gasped as he ran over to her and knelt down on the ground by her side.

"Are ya alrigh', Chere?" He asked her in a worried tone.

"I'm alright...just got tripped up, I guess..." Cyndi sighed as Remy helped her sit up and she glanced down at her pants.

"I think I ripped my pants..." She replied softly as she reached down and exposed that she had in fact, torn her pants at her right knee and that her knee beneath it was scraped and bleeding a little. It was at that moment that Remy felt the feelings of hunger rush over him and he knew he had to find an excuse to walk away...at least until she had stopped the bleeding and covered the wound. What he felt at that moment confused him to no end...blood was readily available, yet he couldn't have it. Didn't want it. He knew he couldn't have it from her, but something inside told him to indulge. He knew it was the evil side he couldn't help...he had to get away before it took over.

"Remy, uh go get ya a bandage..." He replied quickly as he stood, letting out a shaky breath.

"Weak stomach?" Cyndi guessed with a smirk. She found it amusing that a man of his age and build, was made gueasy by the sight of a little blood.

"Men are such babies..." Cyndi thought to herself with a chuckle.

"Ya could say dat..." Remy replied before he walked off to his motorcycle which had a first aid kit under the seat.

"Calm down, homme...ya don' wan' ta do dat ta ya Chere. Anyone else. Not her." He told himself over and over until it started to sound like a mantra. He had to do it, to convince himself it wouldn't be worth it. Something inside was so desperately insisting he feed on her but his heart won overall and he was glad for that, that he still had some control left.

Remy retrieved the bandage and came back to Cyndi who was reunited with Lady on a bench. He sighed deeply and walked over, hoping the bleeding had stayed to a minimum and that he could stand to be around her.

"Are ya ok?" He asked softly, handing her the bandage.

"Yea, I'm fine...just clumsy." She replied with a chuckle as she covered the scrape and Lady licked her face as if to apologize for running off.

"Sorry fo' walkin' off...blood n' Remy don' mix, Chere." He said sincerely.

"It's ok...it's kinda sexy." She smirked over at him. Remy raised an eyebrow which appeared slightly over the rim of his sunglasses and smirked back.

"Oh?" He chuckled.

"Mmhmm. Sensitivity is very sexy." She flirted.

"Well den, ya talkin' ta de righ' homme. Wanna go n' watch Titanic? Remy'll cry wit'chya an' hold ya close." He replied with a smile.

"Tempting." She laughed.

"De movie or holdin' ya close?" He asked playfully.

"Both." She replied as Lady dropped her tennis ball in her lap, patiently waiting to be played with while her mommy flirted with the mysterious Cajun.


	6. Taking Chances

After a great deal of talking, the dusk had turned to night and Cyndi wondered to herself why Remy was still wearing his sunglasses. She finally just came out with it and asked.

"Well, Remy been wantin' ta mention one t'ing 'bout dat..." He replied softly.

"Tell me." She said gently.

"Ya migh' not believe Remy when he tell ya, Chere. Ya promise ta keep an open mind?" He asked his voice unsure.

An open mind? What the hell could possibly be wrong with his eyes? Saying that only made her more anxious.

"I'm a mutant, Chere..." He admitted, testing the waters to see how she would react to that before pulling out all the stops and telling her how he had to suck the life out of people to survive each day. Perhaps that news would come another night, being a mutant was a big enough issue to be sorted.

For a short moment, she stayed silent. Mutants weren't uncommon, she knew of them, was never afraid of them and had no problem with them...she was glad the news wasn't something worse like he had maybe lost an eye in some freak accident!

"Is _that_ all?" She smiled at him. At this, Remy raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smirk. He knew he liked her for a reason.

"Ya tellin' Remy ya don' care?" He asked.

"Yea, it's no biggie." She assured him kindly.

"Ya probably wanna see dem, huh?" He replied.

"If you don't mind..." She said with a smile. Remy nodded and reached up to take off his sunglasses, he did it slowly to give her a chance to take it back...to perhaps back out of doing it himself...but when she didn't object, he completely removed them and unvieled his red on black eyes he had been cursed with since birth. She tilted her head thoughtfully and gazed into them. They were beautiful. Exquisite. Like nothing she had ever seen before or would ever see again. She felt like she could look into them for days and days and continue to find something new and fascinating about them.

"They're amazing." She said softly as she reached over and took his hand in hers. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch with the beginnings of a smile and he felt his confidence go back up again.

"Are ya always so nice, Chere?" He asked.

"I like to think so." She smiled as Lady came up to them and laid down at their feet.

"Besides, you haven't given me reason to be mean." She added.

"Well, Remy be sure ta stay on ya good side den...though, he wouldn' mind seein' a lil' o' ya bad side too...but dat be fo' anotha time." He smirked. She smirked back and shook her head.

"You've got a sassy little mouth, haven't you, Cajun?" She teased.

"De best be bayou has ta offer, Chere." He winked.

XXXXXXX

"So, what exactly is your mutation?" Cyndi asked curiously as Remy smoked a cigarette and Lady napped quietly beneath them.

"Well, Chere...Remy make t'ings go boom." He replied with a mischievous grin.

"Like what?" She laughed, truly captivated by this man. She wanted to learn everything about him.

He bit his lip as he looked around for something to use as an example, something that wouldn't make too much of a spectacle when it exploded. Finally, he settled on a pebble and held it up so she could watch.

"Remy can find de energy in anyt'in..." He replied as the rock suddenly began to glow a bright pink. It was actually quite pretty to look at, but before she could admire it for too long, he casually tossed it away from them. A second or two later, they saw a tiny explosion and heard a soft 'boom' in the distance.

"...den dey go boom." He smirked.

"That's gotta be handy." She laughed.

"Ah, oui, fo' when Remy fight his epic battles. Who needs a cannon when ya got Remy LeBeau 'round." He joked. Cyndi laughed and glanced down at Lady, then at her watch. It was 10:36...and she had to be up early for work the next morning. She sighed softly and told him of her dilemma.

"Don' stay if ya can'...we do dis anotha time." He smiled.

"Promise?" She asked softly.

"Oui. Scouts honor, Chere." He replied.

"Like _you_ were ever in the Scouts." She teased with a saucy grin.

"Ah, ya righ', Chere...but Remy do enjoy de buildin' of Popsicle stick birdhouses in his spare time. Does dat count?" He asked.

"Sure." She smiled as Lady woke out from her sleep and stretched out her limbs before getting up and whimpering at Cyndi.

"Get de lil one home. She look like she 'bout ta start fussin'." Remy smiled. Cyndi nodded and hooked Lady up to her leash.

"Maybe we can meet for dinner or a drink tomorrow night?" She asked hopefully, looking up at him.

"Oui, Chere, Remy'd like dat very much." He nodded sincerely. She smiled and reached into her purse for a scrap of paper and a pen to write her cell phone number on.

"Will you call me?" She asked with a smirk as she held the scrap of paper in front of him while he smiled and tried to take it, but she taunted him playfully by keeping it out of his grasp until he answered.

"O' course, mon bell Chere." He smiled. She pretended to think it over before handing him the slip of paper.

"You better." She flirted, her blue eyes sparkling as she looked up at him.

"G'nigh', Chere. Drive home safe." He murmured, distracted by the look she was giving him and how beautiful she looked, wanting to give her a kiss but not wanting to jump the gun.

"I will, good night, Remy." She smiled before getting on her tippy toes and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Instantly, Remy felt his body warm up at the slight touch. He smiled inwardly as he watched her and Lady walk off to the parking lot, Cyndi waving once before she disappeared.

This seemed like the start of something truly wonderful and for once; Remy welcomed it.


	7. No Turning Back

The next day...

Remy paced and paced around his house with the scrap of paper in his hand all morning. To call or not to call? He couldn't make up his mind! One side of him wanted to call her, to set up a date and then successfully go on said date...but what would they do? Go out to eat? Remy couldn't eat in a restaurant.  
Remy couldn't even eat in his own house! Remy didn't eat all together.

He sighed and ran a hand through his short auburn hair, he wished he had a friend to go over this with. To vent his frustrations with. But he was alone. Any friend he did have was back in New Orleans and they were vampires. They would've told Remy to flat out kill her and he couldn't hear any of that, it was bad enough that half of him already wanted to do just that. But, alone, he could keep that side at bay. His life was as peaceful as it could possibly be being a vampire...having any other of his kind around would only complicate it.

He glanced down at the paper and read her number over and over until he memorized it.

252-3621...252-3621...252-3621...never before had 7 numbers driven him so crazy.

Finally, Remy picked up the phone and cleared his throat before dialing the number. He felt something unsavory begin in his stomach...was he nervous? And was his body actually showing it? Remy then became more nervous, wondering what was happening to him. He hadn't felt this way in so long.

It took 3 rings before she answered. The longest minute of his life.

"Hello?" She said softly, in her honey voice.

"Bonjour, is dis Cyndi?" Remy managed to choke out, his voice displaying false confidence. The butterflies in his stomach telling a whole other story.

"Yes it is...Remy?" She replied, her voice perking up a bit as she recognized his voice.

"Oui, Remy tol' ya he'd call." He chuckled, grinning to himself.

"I'm so glad you did!" She said, no doubt smiling herself.

"How's ya day goin'?" He asked as he walked around the house in circles, the portable phone glued between his ear and shoulder.

"Pretty good, just working. It's been a very slow day...how's your day?" Cyndi replied softly.

"Good...jus' keepin' busy aroun' de house..." Remy said.

"Would you want to meet me for lunch? I'd sure like to see you." She replied sweetly.

'Damn it, LeBeau...de femme wan' ya ta have lunch wit' her...how de fuck do ya tell her tha' ya can't...' He thought to himself as he continued to walk around the house. The butterflies in his stomach seeming to be on hyperdrive now.

"Remy?" She chuckled on the other end. Had he been quiet for long?

"Oh, um, actually...Remy has a..." He began as he stopped in front of a mirror and opened his mouth, his fangs shooting out on command, which gave him a great idea.

"...Remy has a dentist appointment in a little while, Chere. But, I'd love ta meet ya fo' dinner." He replied, satisfied with his excuse, his fangs retracting.

"Oh, alright. No drilling, I hope?" She replied easily.

"Non, jus' a regular cleanin', Chere. If it were drillin', Remy'd be wantin' ya ta come wit' him an' hold his hand." He chuckled. She giggled in response.

"Well, how do you like Firebirds? They have a great menu, nice wine list." She offered.

"Dat sounds great. Wha' time?" He asked, his stomach feeling more at ease now.

"Well, I get off at 6...so, maybe 8? Just so I can change and let Lady out?" She said.

"Oui, dat works fo' Remy. Well, I hope de rest o' ya day goes quickly. Can't wait ta see ya, Chere." He smiled.

"Thanks. I'll see you at 8, can't wait to see you, too." She replied. They said their goodbyes and once Remy hung up the phone, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

That night...

The sun had set around 7:24 which gave Remy ample time to get to the restaurant. He was thankful that things seemed to be going his way. He thought that it might be harder. Eventually, he would have to tell her what he was, but not tonight. Not for a little while, it wasn't something you told a girl on a first formal date.

He parked his motorcycle and went to the door just as Cyndi was walking up to the restaurant as well.

"Hey!" She smiled when she saw him. He looked so handsome, and he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. She was glad he was comfortable enough with her to leave them at home tonight.

"Bonjour, ya look beautiful, Chere." He smiled, he hadn't smiled so much in a long time. It was started to hurt his face. They exchanged a hug and pulled apart but not before Remy snuck a kiss on her cheek. Cyndi blushed and thought to herself how she loved the feel of his lips on her. Why did it feel so familiar to her?

He put his hand on the small of her back and led her inside the restaurant. Remy inhaled deeply as they got inside, praying that all the people there wouldn't be too much for him.

"How'd the dentist go?" Cyndi asked with a smile as they were seated towards the middle of the restaurant in a small table for two.

"Oh, went good. Nice an' clean." He smiled.

After noticing Remy grow a little quiet during dinner, Cyndi wondered if the date was going as well as it had started. Was Remy disappointed with her?  
Maybe there wasn't a spark between them, though she was sure she had felt it.

"Is your dinner ok, you haven't really touched your steak...?" She asked softly.

'Damn, she noticed...they cooked it too much. Remy asked fo' rare.' Remy thought to himself with a sigh.

"I's fine, Chere. Remy jus' t'inkin. Je suis desole." He smiled gently.

"Well, what are you thinking about?" She replied kindly, her eyes sparkling a little as she looked him in his eyes. At that moment, Remy felt the strong urge to suddenly ravage her...she looked so beautiful and it had been so long, he wanted her so desperately. And she smelled incredible. The evil side of him wanted to sink his teeth into that mighty fine looking vein at her neck, he could hear it pulsing and the blood flowing. Remy fought hard to stow those thoughts and only keep the good ones.

"How belle ya are, Chere...ya didn' have ta go ta de trouble fo' ol Remy." He smirked charmingly.

"Sure I did. Besides, whenever I go out with a handsome man, I feel it's only fair to look as good." She smiled.

"Well, dis Cajun approves very much." He replied.

"Does he?" She said softly, with a little smirk. Her glossed pink lips smirking seductively. Did she even know she was doing that? Did she even know how she made him feel?

"Mmhmm..." He mused, his eyes glowing dimly as he looked her over. Her thick curly hair, he could smell it from across the table. It smelled like vanilla. Her sparkling blue eyes framed by those thick dark lashes, her make-up was immaculate, as it usually was. And then back to those goregous lips that he wanted to kiss so badly.

"What are you thinking now?" She teased.

"Somet'in' very naughty, Chere." He smirked. She bit her lip and glanced around the restaurant. What had come over her? She hardly knew this man and she was ready to swipe everything off of the table and let him take her in front of everyone in the place. She knew they couldn't do that, but damn,  
wouldn't it be hot?

"Maybe we should go..so you can elaborate." She said gently. Remy didn't need another word, he asked for the check and within moments they were out the door and in the backseat of her car.

The minute Remy slid into the seat, he scooted over to her and got close.

"Remy...I need to be honest with you..." She murmured softly.

"Oui, Chere?" He said gently.

"I've never wanted a man as much as I want you...this is all so sudden, but I can't help it..." She said, her voice soft and sincere.

"De feelin' is mutual..." He replied as he kissed her cheek. Upon getting so close to her, he inhaled and took in her sweet scent again. He had to have her.

"Don't think any less of me, I'm really a very nice girl...I just, I need to..." She trailed off before grabbing his face and kissing him deeply. Caught off guard, but pleasantly surprised, Remy kissed her back. He had no doubt in his mind that she was a very nice girl, but like she said...he couldn't help himself.

They were both too far gone to turn back. 


End file.
